FSU Football Offensive Coordinator Listed as Candidate For Washington Head Coaching Vacancy

Could the Seminoles' offensive coordinator be in the mix for the Washington head coaching job?

The Florida State Seminoles fanbase has already had quite the scare when it comes to coaching changes this offseason. When Alabama's legendary head coach Nick Saban decided to retire, Mike Norvell was roped into the candidates to potentially land with the Crimson Tide. 

In response to the rumors, the Seminoles signed Norvell to a new eight-year contract that will pay out more than $10 million per year.

While Florida State was infamously left out of the College Football Playoffs, this new contract is still a reward for the Seminoles head coach after going 13-0 on the season and winning the ACC Championship while proving that the program is moving back to the top of the sport.

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While Norvell isn't headed to Tuscaloosa to be their head coach, Washington's head coach Kalen Deboer took the job after leading his program to the College Football Playoff and National Championship game.

The domino effect leaves Washington now without a head coach, and finding a big-name hire isn't exactly the easiest when it's mid-January and school is back underway while workouts are up and running again.

Chris Vannini of The Athletic listed Florida State offensive coordinator Alex Atkins as a name that could get involved in the Huskies' coaching search. He also mentioned names such as Washington offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, Texas defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski, Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell, Kansas head coach Lance Leipold, and Arizona head coach Jedd Fisch, among others.

"Florida State offensive coordinator Alex Atkins is familiar with Dannen, having served as Tulane’s offensive line and assistant head coach from 2006 to ’08. He continues to rise and played an integral role in Florida State’s turnaround and 13-0 start this season. At FSU, he inherited one of the worst offensive lines in the Power 5 and turned it into a very good group, and he added coordinator duties in 2022," Vannini wrote.

This isn't the first time Atkins has been in the news cycle this week, though. He was recently hit with a show-cause penalty after having driven a recruit to an NIL meeting. This, of course, could impact how he's looked at as a head coach prospect, but his Florida State resume is otherwise an impressive one. 

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